Bertrand looking forward to working under Puel

Southampton full-back Ryan Bertrand is looking forward to playing under new boss Claude Puel this season.

The England international has yet to begin pre-season training after representing his nation at Euro 2016, but he recently signed a new five-year deal that will see him remain at St Mary’s Stadium until the summer of 2021.

The 26-year-old will be working under a new manager on the South Coast this season, as Frenchman Puel has replaced Ronald Koeman at the helm, and the left-back admits that he has heard nothing but good things about his new boss.

“I’ve spoken to a lot of people about him and, what he’s done so far, the boys have been really pleased with it, so I’m looking forward to getting to work,” Bertrand told the club’s You Tube channel.

“In football, you look forward to having a break and it’s not too long into that break before you start to get the itch and the buzz again to come back.”

He added: “No one plays football to sit still. You always want to progress, and, when you sit down and analyse what progression will be, that’s the task that will be set and that’s what we’ll hope to achieve.”